Ian Lynch: Actor, director and screenwriter in Dublin, Ireland.

Thanks for accepting!

Thanks y'all for your good words.

Laura pl dont things to heart . Seperate the wheat from the husk. Take the good ones and leave the bad ones

Description of a character as to mood, style, affect is one thing.. it's a good idea if the details matter ( if they do not, leave them to the casting director and filmmaker ). Description of visuals is another; "She looks out to sea and recalls the long lost love of her youth". A viewer does not know if she is looking at a whale or thinking about what groceries to buy. That is I believe the point- and people write the unseen constantly. SHOW the audience... it's not a novel, it's a blueprint.

There's a great little book that I always recommend to people who think they want to write screenplays. The title sells it: "How To Write A Movie In 21 Days" by Viki King. (C) 1988 , Harper & Row. It breaks the process down into manageable chunks and helps you set goals. But its really the same old thing. The key , I think, is don't write your first draft carefully. Write insouciantly. Look that word up, You'll love it.

Vicki King's book was one of the first three on the craft I ever bought, though I still have not written a feature script in under ten weeks. ( tried my first 1-hr. pilot last fall and was happy with what I wrote over nine days, yay.) A new book by Alan Watt titled, "The 90-Day Screenplay - From Concept to Polish" is also a good one to learn by, and, I think, really better at instilling valuable, deep core writer concepts (beyond the structure of pacing).

I actually got to meet Viki at one of her book signings. She was so awesome, I wanted to marry her. But she was already taken. Her grand little book has helped me to write 4 scripts.

You too! Thanks for your advice under my writer's block post! :)

You too!

Lyse makes a good point about the attitude of entitlement demonstrated by some of us. I have to admit that's something that never fails to get my back up. It's like we believe HW is more of a charity than a business sometimes.

It doesn't really matter why one writes, or if your work ever sells. If you get into writing only for the money, it's unlikely you'll ever make any. Writing = thinking, which most people are loathe to do these days where the deluge of media choices does all our thinking for us. The mental exercise of putting your thoughts down on paper, crafting a sentence, then a paragraph , then another, forces you to use your mind for something other than a receiver. Its the difference between being a creator and being a consumer.

Alle, while you are more or less correct about scripts based on the writer's personal life experience usually not being marketable to wide audiences, writing from personal experience -- whether for therapeutic reasons or not -- does inspire someone to write. If anything, those exercises give a writer some writing samples and allows them to hone their craft.

And the fact that (according to the final credits) Prince plays one of the victims in the overturned car at the beginning of the movie. Check the credits on your DVD...

@Beth - I know, that's hilarious. Someone told them, "You can't say it's a true story if it isn't." They looked at him and said, "Sure we can." ;-D

Oh yeah, that's right Sten! I remember that. How funny! Well, Prince is from Minnesota too, don't ya know. I guess, they changed it later when the special edition DVD came out, hinting that the first victim in the snow was a "famous cameo." Maybe Prince was not too happy about being mentioned and they had to change it. And, Derek, YES! I love the Coen brothers. They're hilarious. I've read other interviews where they said basically the same thing, something like "Of course we can do and say whatever we want. It's our film. It's about entertainment. It's about storytelling." There's a special place in my heart for FARGO as I am a native Minnesotan. Although, I'd like to make note that an authentic Minnesotan does not say "You betcha," that's an exaggeration. The proper form is "You bet." That's how Garrison Keillor phrases it, that's how real Minnesotans say it ;D

Ian, it sounds like you're on the right track. My best advice is - you're young, you're hungry, you presumably are not married or have kids yet - MOVE TO LA! Get a job in the industry, try being an assistant in a managers/production/development office, create your network while working on your own material. But do it from the inside. You're at the perfect age to do so. It's so much easier breaking in from the inside.

Query managers (most are open to new writers, unlike agents)... and try not to think of the day job as soul crushing. I drove a forklift for 10 years and it was just what had to be done to pay the bills and support my writing habit. I went over scenes in my mind at work and wrote them the next morning before work. The great thing about day jobs is that they pay for your writing time.

Ian – Fortunately, screenwriting is still legal and once smitten, it’s addictive to many. You sound like one of the addicts and you must do whatever it takes to appease that addiction. An’ remember, it takes a lot of work, a lot of time and a lot of failure before you pop onto the scene as an “overnight sensation.”

I wouldn't put it in at all unless you are a seasoned writer that also writes lyrics. No matter how good you are leave the song out and just describe, they brows into song... They look in each other's eye... Describe the bonding etc.

It's not that hard here is an example. INT- ANY THEATER- ANY PLACE- ANY TIME Dick and Jane are backstage. Holding hands and smiling they walk upon the big stage waving to the crowd under the bright lights then sit on stools across from each other. (Not italicized) MUSIC AND SINGING (Italicized) along with next four lines of the song Oh Jane, Oh Jane you keep me from going insane. Oh Jane, Oh Jane even in your sleep I know your name. Forever a woman like you I have imagined a match for me humble man Dick. You are the one woman I know never upon my heart you would play any trick. Dick and Jane are performing one the best duets in the history of duets, beautiful melody is in the air. Dick and Jane are so in sync smiling at each other sitting across from each other singing. Right when the one woman I know never line occurs Dick's voice cracks. Dick can no longer look Jane in the eye. (Not italicized) Except for " the one woman I know never" MUSIC AND SINGING OVER(Italicized) The Music and Singing would be italicized as well as the lyric. The action right before and right after would not. Anyway you can use this as a template. Don't be afraid of writing whatever you think really needs to be there. Hope this helps and those that think this is amateurish sorry your so stuck in your ways of robotic knowing. It works and I know it does.

watch " khuda ke liye" a Pakistani movie - there is a particular scene when the protagonist moves to USA in search of music and finally ends up composing a song which pictures him and his future half bonding up. " Bandya ho " - Name of the song , available on youtube

Thanks Alle. All cleat

CLEAR

Good to know